启蒙现代性之尴尬——与《五四遗事》有关的遗事

A Predicament of the Chinese Enlightenment Modernity: A Comment on the May Fourth Romance by Ms Eileen Chang

张爱玲的小说《五四遗事》写了两对五四青年追求高雅的爱情而最终落入世俗的故事。《五四遗事》是关于启蒙现代性的命运的叙事。启蒙现代性不仅为中国知识分子酿造了“启蒙”和“救亡”的国家意志,而且还构想出一种“伟大爱情”的神话,作为元叙事来教化和改造中国知识分子的日常生活。作为宿命论者的张爱玲,清楚地意识到了启蒙现代性的尴尬;她既拒绝审美救世主义者用诗意来超越日常生活,也无法像鲁迅那样以社会革命论的态度来对待日常生活。

Eileen Chang＇s fiction named A Short Story Set in the Time When Love Came to China tells us a story of two pairs of young people who were living in the time when the May 4th Movement of China had its great influence. According to the story, those young people were pursuing noble and graceful love at the beginning, but they finally sank into common customs. The fiction is the narrative about fate of enlightenment modernity which not only brewed the state will of Enlightenment and Salvation for Chinese intellectuals, but also conceived a myth of Great Affection to be Meta-narration to convert and remold Chinese intellectuals＇ everyday life. As a fatalist, Eileen Chang has been clearly conscious of the predicament of enlightenment modernity. That＇s why she refused to do as those Aesthetic Salvationists＇ did to sublimate everyday life with poetry, and she also rejected to adopt the attitude of social revolution theory which was Lu Xun＇s choice, towards everyday life.